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NAD’s CS1 adds wireless streaming music to any audio system

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If you’ve got a hi-fi system you love, but it doesn’t speak Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, AirPlay, or any other wireless streaming languages, NAD’s new CS1 Endpoint Network Streamer ($349) provides a super-simple and compact upgrade.

The NAD CS1 Endpoint Network Streamer on a wood media console.
NAD

The London, England-founded, Canadian-based company, announced the compact audiophile-grade component today that allows you to add streaming capabilities to pretty much any music system. The CS1 can play high-res audio at up to 24-bit/192kHz (with its internal DAC also supporting MQA decoding) via various sources, with connectivity options that include Bluetooth 5.0, dual-band Wi-Fi, and Ethernet, and features support for Apple AirPlay 2, GoogleCast, Spotify Connect, Tidal Connect, and Roon. Through Bluetooth, however, you can stream music from any app from a smartphone, computer, or tablet, opening up the playback options.

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Additionally, NAD says that at launch time the CS1 will offer network sharing through DNLA/UPnP protocols, which means that you’ll be able to control your music using those familiar music apps of the services you subscribe to, and not have to use a dedicated NAD app for the CS1.

To get all this hi-res sound to your hi-fi system, the NAD CS1 features a set of RCA analog outs for versatile connectivity to components like stereo receivers, integrated amps, and powered speakers. Or if you have components such as AV receivers, and external digital-to-analog converters (DAC) that support optical and coaxial inputs, you can keep it digital and send audio that way at the 24-bit/192kHz resolution.

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“Streaming has profoundly altered the way people discover and experience music,” Cas Oostvogel, Product Manager of NAD Electronics, said in a press release. “The CS1 makes it easy to add streaming to a legacy stereo or home theatre setup. Or someone could configure a low-footprint system for a den or home office by combining the CS1 with a pair of powered speakers. Streaming doesn’t get simpler than this.”

The NAD CS1 Endpoint Network Streamer will be available through NAD’s website and retailers in March 2023.

Derek Malcolm
Derek Malcolm
Former Contributing Editor, A/V
Derek Malcolm is a contributing editor and evergreen lead for the A/V and Home Theater section of Digital Trends. Derek…
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